IT departments have numerous internal networks, remote offices, virtual networks, and now cloud networks, making it difficult to monitor and detect network and security problems or track installed software. Many different types of sensors exist, including anti-virus and vulnerability software. However, the industry needs a system that can coordinate various sensors and provide the information to the various reporting, remediation, and alert systems. Only when sensor agent information is observed as a whole can a security professional truly obtain an accurate knowledge of the risks and vulnerabilities of a network. In addition, using sensor agents can discover network configurations and previously unobserved instances of risk.
Because a sensor agent system can gather and analyse data from multiple sources, the results are more valuable than the sum of the individual data contributed by each sensor agent. A sensor-based system can track all of the various aspects of their certificates, where they are, as well as performing the numerous actions needed to resolve problems found.